Beer Competition Questions

[Carter1932]

I entered the state fair this year and won third place in stout and German wheat/rye category for my Oatmeal Stout and Dunkelweizen. I knew they were good brews, but was still a bit surprised to take home a ribbon. If nothing else its brought about some new found respect for my hobby.

This was my first entry into a beer competition, so I have a few question about etiquette and judging.

First, the beers I entered were not my recipes, however I did brew them all. The rules did not ask for recipes, nor did it require that they be your own. So, I am curious, do you think its ok to enter recipes that aren't your own? I'm sure the same recipe in different hands could result in drastically different result, so I'm still happy I won.

Secondly, the competition results do not say how many entries per category, nor what subtype won first, second and third. I would like to know that information to rate my competition. Is this sort information usually provided?

 

[rhoadsrage]

Usually there is a list of who won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each category plus the beer name and style. Then there is usually a best of show and a total number of entries in each category.

I think, if you brewed it it is your beer period. Doesn't matter who came up with the ingredient list. If you bought it at a store and peeled the label off then that is illegal/unethical.

 

[Paramecium]

I agree, if you brewed it then it is your beer. Water makeup will be different as well as other factors like ferm temps and pitching rate most likely. I imagine it's nice to win with something you designed from scratch but as far as it being ok, I think so.

 

[Edcculus]

You and I could brew the exact same recipe and have it come out differently. The proof is in the brewer, not the recipe. That said, a lot of people who win comps with recipes from this site post back in the recipe thread that they won. I think above anything else, it reinforces the quality of the original recipe. Lets say you got it out of Brewing Classic Styles. There is no reason to site Jamil as the recipe creator. Although some people (esp NHC winners) will write "based on X beer/recipe". Thats usually for more famous recipes like McDole's Pliny Clone or Jamil's Red Rocket etc.

 

[Yooper]

Even if you don't know how many others there were, you should have a scoresheet, or a score. A beer in the 40 or above score (out of 50) is a very good score. It's broken down like:

Outstanding (45-50)- world class example of style
Excellent (38-44) Exemplifies style well, requires minor fine tuning
Very good (30-37) Generally withint style parameters, some minor flaws
Good (21-27) Misses the mark on style and/or minor flaws
Fair (14-20) Off flavors or major style deficiencies.

In the last couple of comps I judged, the lowest score we were "allowed" to give was a 13.

In those comps, there are a couple of 13s, a number of 17-20s, quite a lot of 21-30s, a few 30-37s, and several 38-44s. The second BOS winner was a 42, I believe. So, if you scored in the high 30s or low 40s, that would be a great score. If you scored higher, that would be a top-notch score.

 

[Carter1932]

Still waiting on the score sheet, guess that will arrive after the fair is over.

Thanks for the input.